Carbon dreams

juandesooka

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Jan 12, 2009
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Some input and advice wanted. I am riding a slingshot setup, because it works decently enough and because it was priced well enough to be doable.

I am now seeing gofoil setups for sale used for a pretty tempting price. For example one package has the iwa nslu and kai wings.

My hopes would be this setup are better in a bunch of ways... Lighter, stiffer, and safer without all the metal. But will the difference be noticeable enough to be worth the extra money at this point? And with these Wings being the technology from 2 years ago, am I better off to wait for the current crop, as the design seems to have stepped up a few levels?

I am riding the slingshot 84 wing, and I suspect the iwa will not have as much lift, with my sup foil. I am riding the h2 wing with my surf foil, I suspect the Iwa will be a really nice trade across or up.

Advice?
 

Kaser1

Tom Curren status
May 3, 2004
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Maine
Some input and advice wanted. I am riding a slingshot setup, because it works decently enough and because it was priced well enough to be doable.

I am now seeing gofoil setups for sale used for a pretty tempting price. For example one package has the iwa nslu and kai wings.

My hopes would be this setup are better in a bunch of ways... Lighter, stiffer, and safer without all the metal. But will the difference be noticeable enough to be worth the extra money at this point? And with these Wings being the technology from 2 years ago, am I better off to wait for the current crop, as the design seems to have stepped up a few levels?

I am riding the slingshot 84 wing, and I suspect the iwa will not have as much lift, with my sup foil. I am riding the h2 wing with my surf foil, I suspect the Iwa will be a really nice trade across or up.

Advice?
Are you riding 2 year old Slingshot gear? Comparing apples to apples, I'd get the Go Foil. 2 year old Slingshot compared to Go Foil would be a def improvement. But from what it sounds like, you are SUP foiling, and depending on the size of your sup, and how much you weight, and where you surf, the Iwa might be the only wing in that set you'd touch IMO.

Yes the 2nd and 3rd gen stuff out there now is a steep improvement in weight and efficiency soo it really depends on what you want out of your foiling at the end of the day. I've seen people here on Maui go from struggling to do 2 for 1's to now doing 3 and 4 for 1's with better gear.
 

juandesooka

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Jan 12, 2009
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Thanks Kaser, that’s helpful advice. I think you nailed it: if it’s about the money, it is roughly equivalent to choose between 2019 Slingshot gear versus 2017-18 Gofoil gear. What I am uncertain about, how much of an upgrade it will be, a little bit or a lot.

As for use, I am transitioning from SUP to Surf Foil, so the GoFoil is intended for surf foil. I figure I need the big wing for sup foil and for wing foil – so either need to keep my Slingshot 84 or would need to get one of the bigger gofoil wings.
 
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If you find a good deal, buy it. If you realize its not that much better, you can always turn around and sell it. I just sold my go foil gear. I actually really liked it, but recently got an axis 900 and I like it more. Realized I probably wouldn't ride the gofoil much anymore, so figured I'd sell it and use the money for the next foil purchase, whatever that may be...

The other advice I have is that you'd probably only want the Iwa and Maliko 200, may not need the kai and unless you plan on using it in big waves won't need the nalu.
 
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juandesooka

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Jan 12, 2009
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Thanks BMB. I want the Maliko! But the current deal includes those 3 wings. I am thinking Kai is a step up from H2 and Nalu will work for kiting. And yes, leaning towards just buying and sorting it out later. :cool:
 

Kaser1

Tom Curren status
May 3, 2004
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Thanks Kaser, that’s helpful advice. I think you nailed it: if it’s about the money, it is roughly equivalent to choose between 2019 Slingshot gear versus 2017-18 Gofoil gear. What I am uncertain about, how much of an upgrade it will be, a little bit or a lot.

As for use, I am transitioning from SUP to Surf Foil, so the GoFoil is intended for surf foil. I figure I need the big wing for sup foil and for wing foil – so either need to keep my Slingshot 84 or would need to get one of the bigger gofoil wings.
If you're going to use it for wing foiling also, I wouldnt recommend the high aspect wings, especially if you don't have alot of wind to work with. The low aspect gen 1 and 2 stuff from Go Foil works better IMO than my GL high aspect for winging. I actually use my M200 the most. Low end lift without stalling out is key when you're a couple miles out. You don't wanna get stuck out there not able to get back on foil when you go down. It's happened and it's not a good feeling.

Not sure where you are and what access you have to used gear, but there's always plenty here in HI people changing setups. If it would cost out to ship, I'd recommend it.
 
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juandesooka

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More great tips! I am leaning towards buying it, then seeking out a Maliko to add on. It’s coming from Hawaii, seller willing to ship.

For wing, I just updated my 5m to a 7m … goal is light wind use. But with my 5m, I needed the 84 wing all the way forward to get enough lift…totally get the need for maximum lift.
 
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There's a guy on the standupzone selling xl and xxl gong wings, which can be modified to fit the gofoil fuse if you want some big wings for pretty cheap...
 
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Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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I went from a 2 year old Naish setup to a lift classic 200. Is it worth it? The weight difference is amazing. There are some things the Naish did that I liked actually. Mostly low speed lift on very slow soft waves. The lift has to be pumped more to keep speed. If you keep your speed of on a wave with more push the lift is better. Overall it was worth it. I sold my Naish setup for $350 and immediately went to pickup the lift setup for $850. So essentially $500 to upgrade. Seemed worth it.

Mast flex is a real thing. You get used to it though. I personally wouldn't buy kai or nalu wings. The nalu especially. If you don't have a jet ski and overhead waves you'll never want that nalu. The kai will also require overhead waves IMO. I've never ridden the gofoil stuff though. Everyone I see on gofoil has moved onto GL wings, that's probably why you're seeing deals. Look for a gofoil Iwa and 200 set though. Don't waste money on the smaller stuff that will be of no use to you.
 

Clamsmasher

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Apr 22, 2013
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Hey man, I cross posted this from Seabreeze


I did have a SS setup very early on. If the H2 setup you're running is the early version, then a 24" Gofoil and Iwa will be significantly lighter.

The Iwa is an awesome, grunty wing for prone and I use it for wind winging now on a SUP at 80kg.
Since getting the GL 210 I don't run anything else in surf or for aimless pumping so think about that when you buy because most people I know aren't going back to the old wings after tasting HA performance....except maybe to launch a wing at the lowest possible speed.

One last note, personally I found the 24" mast to be to flexy for the Iwa and bigger wings...most noticeable when the waves had some size, but once I got the 29.5" mast I never went back.
 
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Clamsmasher

Michael Peterson status
Apr 22, 2013
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I agree with not getting the Kai or Nalu if you can avoid them. I got zero use out of my Kai...I did dream about a smaller and/or thinner Iwa though. Then the GL’s came along.
 

juandesooka

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Appreciate the input. Looks like the deal was an online scam anyway. Tgtbt is always just that. Oh well. But it has been helpful in confirming that I do want an upgrade if I find the right deal.
 

juandesooka

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Jan 12, 2009
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I pulled the trigger on a lightly used Maliko200, so I will soon get a feel for GoFoil vs Slingshot. Thanks for all the advice.

I figure that will work for my Sup Foil, roughly substituting for the SS Infinity 84 (which in many situations has been a little big anyway, I have been angling for the 76). I will keep an eye out for an IWA, which will be a step up from my H2 for surf foil. Let me know if you see one for sale! I may also seek out smaller wings if cheap, can use them with the kite.

But I understand these earlier models are not modular, so I suspect an Iwa may not fit perfect....our crew has been doing mucho monkeying about with gear, so I am (over?)confident we can make it work.

My new-to-me sup foil has a tuttle mount, so that works out. For surf foil, I'll have to decide whether to install one of boxes with both track and tuttle or buy the adapter ... seems to be about the same price, adapter will make it more versatile, so that's likely the way to go.

Yeww!
 

Hdip

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2005
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Nice! New gear is always fun.

Is anyone here on their original gear? Who has had the most turnover in the shortest period of time? Steamroller has tons of gear, he may win that one even it's only GoFoil gear haha.
 

juandesooka

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Jan 12, 2009
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Is there a way to block threads from prying eyes? This could get dangerous ... in a family sort of way. ;-)

Carafino kite foil to Stringfellow kite foil to DIY stringy copy and DIY zeeko spitfire copy. Still riding those. Briefly had carafino v2 and slingshot hoverglide in there.

Chakuma sup foil (chinese version of Takuma V100) to Slingshot H4, quickly to Infinity 84 and then H2 wings. And then also buddy's DIY sup foil (klingon bird of prey), brief experiment with Stringy albatross. Soon GoFoil Maliko200

Boards: 9.6 sup with through hull that got ripped out. 7.6 sup with tracks, still have it. 6.10 sup with tracks, just got it. 6' sup DIY, big ugly, hope to figure out how to use it. 5' surf foil board DIY, also big ugly, learning how to use it. 4'11" armstrong DIY copy on the way. I won't even dive into the kite foil boards.

I now find myself with a somewhat embarrassing array of foil stuff that work out to 4 or 5 full setups for kite, surf, sup foil. For something that was supposed to be an amusing side hobby to surfing and kiting, the sickness is real and readily apparent.
 
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get the tuttle adapter, you'll like the extra height it gives you.

sell a couple old setups, use the money to buy a GL wing
 
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chinese naish L copy --> Gong xl --> Gofoil kai/iwa/maliko --> Axis 900

same 4'7 board, but its getting beat up and will be looking for a new board soon.
 

juandesooka

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Jan 12, 2009
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Fell in love with my H2 wing again this weekend, sure comes alive when the surf's bigger. I have ordered a GF Maliko, and then probably will pursue the Iwa for everyday surf foil, and maybe the Kai for big days. Or maybe one of the Gongs, as it sounds like they can be jerry-rigged to fit GF.

I also ended up getting a cheap deal on a blue planet easy foiler med/large combo. Initial testing on the large: very stable, but also really slow, feels like it is dragging seaweed. Will have to try the medium, but I suspect this one will get bounced along.

I feel like I have advanced into solid intermediate, so these beginner draggy foils aren't going to cut it any more. I would really like to start experimenting with the higher aspect low profile wings like GL, MFC, LP ... but also kinda afraid to know what I am missing. ;-)
 
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my neighbor started on the easy foiler med. he took out my iwa and after one session decided to sell the easy foiler and get something else...
 

juandesooka

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Jan 12, 2009
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Carbon update: I have jumped into the GoFoil world. I bought 2 setups, a maliko 200 for sup small waves, and a kai/iwa combo for surf foil. With all the new competition, and GoFoil now pushed to the GL line, there are good deals to be had on older gofoils. Apparently in Hawaii, they are hard to sell, as everyone has them, but everyone moving on to high aspect / low profile. So the seagull deal scavengers like me can feast on the old technology.

First try on the iwa in a short dusk patrol session. Pros and cons compared to my slingshot set up, will take some getting used to. Noticeably lighter. Paddles kinda weird with the floating rig below. The 4” longer mast and down-pointing stab is going to cause some problems on low tide days, just that extra few inches of clearance. It hums!

The iwa is roughly same surface area as slingshot 76, but I’d say it has more grunty lift. I needed way more front foot pressure to keep it in the water. For the wave size/power, I should have been on the kai wing, but didn’t have time to switch. It was very stable, didn’t feel quite as turney/loose as the 76, but not really a fair test, as I was “over-winged”, so focused on managing the power, plus it’ll take a few sessions to find the happy place.

But able to jump on and catch a bunch of waves first try, that’s a good sign.

And now the foil garage sale!
 
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